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The Hijacking of Conservatism in America

Mr. Cassell does an accurate job of describing how the American Conservative movement was hijacked and transformed into what it has become today!
..................................

The Hijacking of Conservatism

By Kevin CassellConservatism in American social and political life could have been the hallmark of a 21st Century Golden Age had it not been hijacked by the reactionary wing of the Republican Party and turned into a platform for the politics of personal destruction. What was once an estimable tradition that favored small, efficient, centralized government and gradual transition over radical transformation is now a loaded word that signifies unconditional patriotism, orthodox Biblical faith, corporate deregulation, and a venomous hatred of taxes.

But what truly stuns is how what passes for "conservatism" in the U.S. these days is aligned with the ideological Republican Right and their practice of a politics geared toward very publicly denigrating and destroying the careers of their opponents--specifically progressives and moderates.

This has a traceable history going back at least to McCarthyism. After the failure of that effort, GOP right-wingers were kept at arm's length by Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon, but they made a stunning comeback when Ronald Reagan rode into office talking of a shining city on a hill. As the country shimmered with patriotism and God, these newly-termed "Reaganites" worked behind the scenes, cutting taxes for their homies, deregulating oversight systems for big business, and funneling money borrowed (these guys always borrow money that taxpayers end up having to pay back) from overseas regimes to thwart leftist movements in Central America.

Meanwhile, homelessness exploded, the Savings and Loans industry imploded--leaving taxpayers with a $500 billion hole in their wallets--and budget deficits skyrocketed. As his Vice President George H.W. Bush, running on the Republican ticket in 1988, spoke of a "kinder, gentler America," GOP strategist Lee Atwater was circulating false rumors that Democrat Michael Dukakis's wife, Kitty, had burned an American flag to protest the Vietnam War. His protege Karl Rove, a spokesman on behalf of the Bush-era "neoconservatives," helped sail George W. Bush into office in the guise of a "compassionate conservative"--one who cared deeply for the welfare of people.

Eight years later, the United States is in the throes of its worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, has a $9,400,000,000,000 debt, and 300 million citizens who have been unfathomably screwed.

Believing, perhaps, that a vote for the GOP was a vote for God and Country, Republican voters in the past decades put into office self-styled "conservatives" who became the most predatory political animals ever to stalk the cunning halls of Washington: Newt Gingrich, Dennis Hastert, Tom Delay--to name only the most prominent among them. But let's do some straight-talk here: they are not conservatives, as Noam Chomsky pointed out as early as 1995; they are reactionaries--people who oppose social and political progress.

Their court-packing, unilateral, pro-corporate agenda has been loudly hailed by an army of ideogogical mercenaries in the media who invest enormous amounts of energy into destroying the careers of political figures who stand in their way. Despite its alleged allegiance to love of country, democracy, God, and humankind, the reactionary ideology of contemporary "conservatism" is an aggressive, cut-throat ideology that plays dirty every chance it gets.

Kevin Cassell is bloviating idiot. I can't understand you bieng a self proclaiming libertarian that you would agree with such spueded hatred. I agree that progressives in the party have hiden behind the conservative movement to further thier socialist agendas but that is a far cry from what he has stated in that load. Why might I ask you what your hypothosis is for the economic disaster we have been living thru? He blames the republican party, I balme in part, on the housing buble started by Jimmy Carter and furthered by Bill Clinton. The notion that it is a right to own a home is insane. IT MUST BE EARNED. You can't give loans to people who don't qualify and can't pay for the same loans. I can think of many Dems that have done alot worse fo this country including the one we have now.

Kevin Cassell is bloviating idiot. I can't understand you bieng a self proclaiming libertarian that you would agree with such spueded hatred. I agree that progressives in the party have hiden behind the conservative movement to further thier socialist agendas but that is a far cry from what he has stated in that load. Why might I ask you what your hypothosis is for the economic disaster we have been living thru? He blames the republican party, I balme in part, on the housing buble started by Jimmy Carter and furthered by Bill Clinton. The notion that it is a right to own a home is insane. IT MUST BE EARNED. You can't give loans to people who don't qualify and can't pay for the same loans. I can think of many Dems that have done alot worse fo this country including the one we have now.

The instrument used to bring down the housing market was the Unregulated Credit Default Swap, a bill written and championed by Repubs. Furthermore, Bush and the Repub controlled Congress 2001-06 had the power to repeal the damaging aspects of the Commodities Futures Modernazation Act but didn't.

Goldman Sachs which made billions on Unregulated Credit Default Swaps weilds the most power among Repubs and I suspect that they lobbied their dear friends into writing this Bill. GS also weilds a lot of power among the Dems as well but, it was the Repubs that were in control at the time.

Wall St also knew that if they got into trouble that they could count on their puppets; the Dems, the Repubs and Federal Reserve to bail them out. Don't forget that it is Wall St and International Banking that controls our Monetary System and Fed Reserve.

In a truely free marketplace where Capitalism can work its magic, I am against regulations. But, that is not what we have. We haven't had Free Markets or real Capitalism in over 100 years. So, since what we have is Crony Capitalism, then we need regulations!

"Under the system of natural liberty, every man, as long as he does not violate the laws of justice, is left perfectly free to pursue his own interest his own way and to bring both his industry and capital into competition with those of any other man or order of men." - Adam Smith

Mr. Cassell does an accurate job of describing how the American Conservative movement was hijacked and transformed into what it has become today!
..................................

The Hijacking of Conservatism

By Kevin CassellConservatism in American social and political life could have been the hallmark of a 21st Century Golden Age had it not been hijacked by the reactionary wing of the Republican Party and turned into a platform for the politics of personal destruction. What was once an estimable tradition that favored small, efficient, centralized government and gradual transition over radical transformation is now a loaded word that signifies unconditional patriotism, orthodox Biblical faith, corporate deregulation, and a venomous hatred of taxes.

But what truly stuns is how what passes for "conservatism" in the U.S. these days is aligned with the ideological Republican Right and their practice of a politics geared toward very publicly denigrating and destroying the careers of their opponents--specifically progressives and moderates.

This has a traceable history going back at least to McCarthyism. After the failure of that effort, GOP right-wingers were kept at arm's length by Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon, but they made a stunning comeback when Ronald Reagan rode into office talking of a shining city on a hill. As the country shimmered with patriotism and God, these newly-termed "Reaganites" worked behind the scenes, cutting taxes for their homies, deregulating oversight systems for big business, and funneling money borrowed (these guys always borrow money that taxpayers end up having to pay back) from overseas regimes to thwart leftist movements in Central America.

Meanwhile, homelessness exploded, the Savings and Loans industry imploded--leaving taxpayers with a $500 billion hole in their wallets--and budget deficits skyrocketed. As his Vice President George H.W. Bush, running on the Republican ticket in 1988, spoke of a "kinder, gentler America," GOP strategist Lee Atwater was circulating false rumors that Democrat Michael Dukakis's wife, Kitty, had burned an American flag to protest the Vietnam War. His protege Karl Rove, a spokesman on behalf of the Bush-era "neoconservatives," helped sail George W. Bush into office in the guise of a "compassionate conservative"--one who cared deeply for the welfare of people.

Eight years later, the United States is in the throes of its worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, has a $9,400,000,000,000 debt, and 300 million citizens who have been unfathomably screwed.

Believing, perhaps, that a vote for the GOP was a vote for God and Country, Republican voters in the past decades put into office self-styled "conservatives" who became the most predatory political animals ever to stalk the cunning halls of Washington: Newt Gingrich, Dennis Hastert, Tom Delay--to name only the most prominent among them. But let's do some straight-talk here: they are not conservatives, as Noam Chomsky pointed out as early as 1995; they are reactionaries--people who oppose social and political progress.

Their court-packing, unilateral, pro-corporate agenda has been loudly hailed by an army of ideogogical mercenaries in the media who invest enormous amounts of energy into destroying the careers of political figures who stand in their way. Despite its alleged allegiance to love of country, democracy, God, and humankind, the reactionary ideology of contemporary "conservatism" is an aggressive, cut-throat ideology that plays dirty every chance it gets.

The instrument used to bring down the housing market was the Unregulated Credit Default Swap, a bill written and championed by Repubs. Furthermore, Bush and the Repub controlled Congress 2001-06 had the power to repeal the damaging aspects of the Commodities Futures Modernazation Act but didn't.

Goldman Sachs which made billions on Unregulated Credit Default Swaps weilds the most power among Repubs and I suspect that they lobbied their dear friends into writing this Bill. GS also weilds a lot of power among the Dems as well but, it was the Repubs that were in control at the time.

Wall St also knew that if they got into trouble that they could count on their puppets; the Dems, the Repubs and Federal Reserve to bail them out. Don't forget that it is Wall St and International Banking that controls our Monetary System and Fed Reserve.

In a truely free marketplace where Capitalism can work its magic, I am against regulations. But, that is not what we have. We haven't had Free Markets or real Capitalism in over 100 years. So, since what we have is Crony Capitalism, then we need regulations!

"Under the system of natural liberty, every man, as long as he does not violate the laws of justice, is left perfectly free to pursue his own interest his own way and to bring both his industry and capital into competition with those of any other man or order of men." - Adam Smith

And, from the CATO Institute's Facebook post today...

For those who don't understand this, I recommend:

"For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." -- Luke 12:48

I haven't lambasted UB for cut and paste but, for the misinformation that he cuts and paste! That would be his sources. Please, pay better attention.

Buzz, I've read Taibbi's book and Michael Lewis' book is one I've been meaning to order. Thanks for reminding me.

You'll enjoy "The Big Short." Very informative, but also very entertaining. Taibbi's book can get dry in places, but his sense of humor and writing style help overcome that. The Quants is really interesting for math/engineering types like me.

"For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." -- Luke 12:48